Re: 1981 Ranger bass boat
For starters get a factory service manual for your engine so you can do as much of the work on it yourself as possible.
On older boats you need to keep an eye out for wet/rotting wood in the transom, deck, and stringers. It's a real nuisance on bass boats where someone may not have done a good job of sealing screw holes where they mounted transducers and such (ask me how I know that - I rebuilt a 1981 fish-n-ski last year). Other than that take the time to learn how your boat is wired and how everything works, you're more than likely not going to find any kind of manual for the boat itself.
